What’s the story?
WWE superstar Randy Orton missed a few house shows over the weekend as he is allowed to do so under the terms of his current contract, according to The Observer.
The background
Orton, who is the son of WWE legend Bob Orton, started 2017 on a perfect note when he won the Royal Rumble match in January and earned the right to face the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania 33. At the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’, he beat Bray Wyatt to become the new WWE Champion.
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Shortly thereafter, Jinder Mahal joined the blue brand as part of the Superstar Shakeup and won a six pack challenge to become the new number one contender for the title. At Payback, he interfered in Orton’s House of Horrors match against Wyatt and made it clear that he had his number.
Thereafter, the Indo-Canadian star beat The Viper at Backlash to win the WWE title for the first time in his career.
The heart of the matter
In 2014, Orton signed a new deal with the WWE and as per that deal, he doesn’t need to be on the road 24x7. This explains why The Viper skipped house shows which were held over the weekend. It will be worth watching whether he resumes working house show in the days to come.
Moreover, it must also be pointed out that the ‘Apex Predator’ is already an established name and doesn’t really need to work all live events to get over with the fans.
What’s next?
Orton will challenge ‘The Maharaja’ for his WWE Championship at the Money In The Bank PPV on June 18, 2017.
Author’s take
Frankly speaking, Orton’s latest run as WWE Champion was quite underwhelming and directionless. However, he’s a good worker and still has plenty of wrestling left in him.
As such, he is likely to remain an important part of WWE programming in the near future.
Meet Randy Orton's lovely wife HERE
